Archaeology Techniques

Archaeology techniques There are two types of chronologies to determine a statement that happened along time. There is absolute chronology and relative chronology. The absolute chronology is the one in which we can know the specifically moment in time were the statement happened. The relative chronology is the one in which we can know approximately when it happened in relation with other statements. Now, knowing this, there are many techniques used in archaeology to date a fossil or anything founded. These are some of them: •

Dendrochronology: is the study of the rings founded inside the stem of a tree. The archaeologists see how much close are the rings or how much separated. This can tell us if there was a drought or a raining period. It gives us an absolute chronology.

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Thermoluminescence: It is based on the fact that almost all natural minerals are thermoluminescent. Energy absorbed from ionizing radiation frees electrons to move through the crystal lattice and some are trapped at imperfections. Later heating releases the trapped electrons, producing light. Measurement of the intensity of the luminescence can be used to determine how much time has passed since the last time the object was heated.

Sandra Muñoz Sources: http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/dating/